OCTOBER 12, 2022 – WINE NEWS FETCH

• Inflation drags on wine’s return to pre-pandemic US restaurant sales
• The Flame Out of Napa Valley’s Iconic Wine Country
• Beverage Alcohol Buying Trends Reflective of Growing Consumer Consciousness, According To Provi Pulse Report
• Understand Trademarks to Protect Your Beverage Alcohol Brand
• These Regions Topped SVB Winery Survey Participation Last Year. How Will Your Area Rank This Year?
• Does Anyone Still Care About Wine Certifications? — (Sponsored link)

OBITUARIES

• Nicolas Belfrage MW (1940–2022) by Simon Loftus

ICYMI (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

• Give data to get data! SVB Annual Wine Industry Survey: Time’s Almost Up!
• Pierre Castel, Exiled Wine Billionaire, Hit With $416 Million Tax Bill by Swiss [paywall?]
• Can Tech Bridge the Gap with Millennial Consumers?
• Sex and Wine: the (not so) Sweet Smell of Covid
• Harvest Compliance Training on California Grape Crush Report Now Available Online– (Sponsored Link.)

WINE SUPPLY & CONSUMPTION

• 2022 Douro harvest: “We faced some of the greatest challenges that our family has seen”
• English winemakers toast summer heatwaves
• Champagne’s 2022 Harvest Looks Promising, Unlike Most of France’s Agricultural Output
• Grow your wine brand awareness in restaurants and bars of USA – (Sponsored link)

CALIFORNIA BRIEFS

• Sonoma County Wine Auction Raises More Than $1.8 Million for Nonprofits
• New Napa Versus Old Napa: Carneros Boundary Dispute Heads to Court
• Marin County wine, beer, spirits producer WX Brands gets new CEO
• The Future of Winemaking: Honoring the vision of Professor Roger Boulton
• TUBES – Wines & Spirits by the Glass Announces Opening of New Production Facility in Napa, CA
• Proud legacy of Italian winegrowers in Sonoma County [paywall?]
• Can Cutting-Edge Technology and Character Coexist in Winemaking? — (Sponsored link)

WILDFIRES/SMOKE TAINT

• US sued for pollution from retardant drops on wildfires [paywall?]
• California Fire Map
• Oregon Wildfire Tracker

WEATHER

• New tsunami hazard maps highlight threat facing seven California counties, even Napa [paywall?]

DROUGHT/WATER

• Drought casts shadow over Sonoma County agriculture

CONSUMER SALES: DTC, ON- & OFF-PREMISE

• Time to get your visitor pass for USA Trade Tasting and meet the world Chicago – (Sponsored link

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

• How regenerative farming could help the Paso Robles wine industry reach sustainability
• Making Decisions For The Right Riesling

REGULATION & LEGAL MATTERS

• Why It Might Be the Right Time for Farmers To Add Extra Insurance Coverage
• Staying compliant amid new beverage alcohol industry regulations: On demand – (Sponsored Link.)

PUBLIC COMPANIES

• LVMH wine and spirits sales climb in Q3
• The Wine Group appoints CEO to “unlock new growth”

FINANCE, INVESTMENT, M&A

• Pioneering New Zealand Estate Changes Hands
• InVintory Closes First $1.5M Fundraise Led by its Community of Wine Collectors

AGRIFOODTECH

• Wine Tech Part 1: Tony Cha of Alfred Technologies (podcast)

INVESTING IN WINE, COLLECTING & AUCTIONS

• Fine wine market: caution replaces ‘devil-may care spending’ of 2021
• Barolo’s en primeur set to grow
• Promontory 2017 released – Liv-ex
• Penfolds 2019 Bin169 to be sold through La Place de Bordeaux

MEDIA MATTERS

• Things to read, watch and listen to for wine lovers

MATTERS OF TASTE

• Douro’s dry wines enter a new phase of maturity and sophistication
• Mistreating Wine

WINE HISTORY

• Montesquieu: Philosopher, Writer, Wine Merchant

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL WINE NEWS

• Prosecco is a good fit with Canada’s sparkling wine trends
• New York Sustainable Winegrowing Vineyard Certification Enrollment Open Now
• Oregon wine industry proves resilient in the face of challenges
• Montana Wants to Be the Next Wine Country

EUROPE & THE UK

• Liverpool port strike to increase delays for drinks deliveries
• Sussex will be synonymous with English sparkling wine
• Michel Chapoutier makes surprising suggestion for potential English wine project
• Could English sparkling wine ever dethrone Champagne? British grapes are overtaking French rivals thanks to warmer climates, with Kent as the prime spot for harvest and sunshine
• Ruffino Riserva Ducale Oro: ‘a glorious past is an opportunity not a constraint!’

DOWN UNDER

• OZ: Alsace influence at Colmar Estate

ASIA & PACIFIC RIM

• Walmart China adds two boutique Bourgogne estates

SOUTH AFRICA

• ‘People, place and prosperity’ focus vital to South Africa recovery

BEER, CIDER, WINE & SPIRITS

• IWSR: global RTD category value to hit $11.6bn
• Is the grow big & sell fast dream still possible for craft beer?